Source: APO
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In September 1995, during Rwanda’s fragile recovery following the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi, a young woman named Marie Mediatrice Izabiliza boarded a plane to represent her country at the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing. She wasn’t just carrying luggage; she was carrying hope.
Rebuilding from Ruins: The Power of One Woman’s Resolve
Back home, Marie got to work. She helped establish the National Women’s Council and the National Youth Council, and served as Vice Chairperson of both in their first terms. As mayor of the former Gisozi District, she introduced gender-responsive budgeting, ensuring women’s and youth’s priorities were reflected in local government plans.
In 2005, during the Beijing+10 commemoration, Marie mobilized over 800 community members for a three-day dialogue on gender equality, earning her a UNIFEM Certificate of Excellence.
Her leadership continued to grow from district executive to Member of Parliament (2013–2024), where she held influential roles, including Vice Chairperson of the Rwanda Women Parliamentarians Forum (FFRP) and member of the Public Accounts Committee, tirelessly championing gender-responsive budgeting and accountability across institutions.
Taking Rwanda’s Voice to Africa and Beyond
Marie didn’t stop at the national level. From 2015 to 2024, she served at the Pan-African Parliament, using her position as Vice Chairperson of the Committee on Gender, Family, Youth, and People with Disabilities to amplify the voices of African women in policymaking spaces.
Beyond her public duties, Marie established REBEJO (Renforcement du Bien Être de la Jeunesse Ouvrière) to support girls and young women who have survived gender-based violence and unintended pregnancies. In 2025, she launched the Forum des Femmes Catholiques au Rwanda, a pioneering space for faith-based gender education targeting women who didn’t have the opportunity to complete formal schooling.
She now plans to extend the platform to include men, encouraging more inclusive conversations on gender roles and shared responsibility in families.
The Legacy of Beijing: Still Her Guiding Light
Three decades later, Marie still draws strength from the Beijing Platform for Action (BPfA). The 12 critical areas of concern from Beijing from education and poverty to violence and political participation continue to frame her advocacy. Rwanda’s progress is undeniable: gender equality is enshrined in the Constitution, more than 63.8 per cent of representatives in Parliament are female, and progressive laws have been redefined such as land rights, inheritance, education and protection from violence. Institutions such as MIGEPROF, the Gender Monitoring Office, and FFRP have anchored this progress.
Yet, Marie remains grounded in reality. “The journey is still long,” she says. She calls for more deliberate engagement with men and boys, gender equality education starting in early childhood, and increased support to grassroots civil society and private sector actors to localize global frameworks like the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) and BPfA. She advocates for revitalizing national monitoring mechanisms that ensure Rwanda’s reporting and implementation are inclusive, evidence-based, and community-informed.
A Beacon of Hope at CSW69 and Beyond
At the CSW69 National Reflection Event, hosted by MIGEPROF in partnership with UN Women Rwanda, Marie shared her story alongside fellow Beijing alumni. The event served as a space to connect global outcomes, like the CSW69 Political Declaration, with national development strategies.
Hon. Consolee Uwimana, Minister of Gender and Family Promotion, acknowledged the pivotal contributions of women like Marie and reminded stakeholders that the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action remains one of the most ambitious global frameworks for women’s rights. She issued a compelling call to action: to align CSW69 outcomes with national strategies through accelerated action, meaningful inclusion, and responsive solutions to emerging challenges such as digital transformation, climate change, and humanitarian crises. She honoured the contributions of Beijing alumni like Marie and Crescence Mukantabana, and recognized Rwanda’s youth as key drivers of continued progress.
Closing the event, Ms. Jennet Kem, UN Women Rwanda Country Representative, reminded the audience that global frameworks must be localized to truly impact the lives of women and girls. She commended Rwanda’s leadership and its new role as Co-Chair of CSW70, a role that reflects the country’s leadership and responsibility to inspire others in a time of global uncertainty.
“The Journey Is Still Long, But We Continue.”
Marie Mediatrice Izabiliza’s life is a testament to what happens when hope meets purpose. Sparked by the global solidarity of 1995, she has spent the past 30 years ensuring Rwanda doesn’t just rebuild but rises with women at the centre. As the world marks 30 years since Beijing, Marie’s story reminds us that transformation is not an event, it is a commitment.
epresenting civil society under the banner of “Team Karisimbi,” Marie was part of a unified Rwandan delegation of 40 drawn from government, civil society, and the private sector. At the time, Rwanda did not make an official presentation, as it had no achievements to showcase. “All we carried,” Marie recalls, “was a hope and a will to rebuild our country.” The stories she heard in Beijing from women fighting for rights in their corners of the world, transformed her worldview, “It was like a fire lit inside me. I came back knowing I had a role to play in Rwanda’s rebirth.”
The Beijing Conference ignited in Marie a lifelong commitment to gender equality and resilience. That spark became the compass that would guide her life’s work for decades to come.
Rebuilding from Ruins: The Power of One Woman’s Resolve
Back home, Marie got to work. She helped establish the National Women’s Council and the National Youth Council, and served as Vice Chairperson of both in their first terms. As mayor of the former Gisozi District, she introduced gender-responsive budgeting, ensuring women’s and youth’s priorities were reflected in local government plans.
In 2005, during the Beijing+10 commemoration, Marie mobilized over 800 community members for a three-day dialogue on gender equality, earning her a UNIFEM Certificate of Excellence.
Her leadership continued to grow from district executive to Member of Parliament (2013–2024), where she held influential roles, including Vice Chairperson of the Rwanda Women Parliamentarians Forum (FFRP) and member of the Public Accounts Committee, tirelessly championing gender-responsive budgeting and accountability across institutions.
Taking Rwanda’s Voice to Africa and Beyond
Marie didn’t stop at the national level. From 2015 to 2024, she served at the Pan-African Parliament, using her position as Vice Chairperson of the Committee on Gender, Family, Youth, and People with Disabilities to amplify the voices of African women in policymaking spaces.
Beyond her public duties, Marie established REBEJO (Renforcement du Bien Être de la Jeunesse Ouvrière) to support girls and young women who have survived gender-based violence and unintended pregnancies. In 2025, she launched the Forum des Femmes Catholiques au Rwanda, a pioneering space for faith-based gender education targeting women who didn’t have the opportunity to complete formal schooling.
She now plans to extend the platform to include men, encouraging more inclusive conversations on gender roles and shared responsibility in families.
The Legacy of Beijing: Still Her Guiding Light
Three decades later, Marie still draws strength from the Beijing Platform for Action (BPfA). The 12 critical areas of concern from Beijing from education and poverty to violence and political participation continue to frame her advocacy. Rwanda’s progress is undeniable: gender equality is enshrined in the Constitution, more than 63.8 per cent of representatives in Parliament are female, and progressive laws have been redefined such as land rights, inheritance, education and protection from violence. Institutions such as MIGEPROF, the Gender Monitoring Office, and FFRP have anchored this progress.
Yet, Marie remains grounded in reality. “The journey is still long,” she says. She calls for more deliberate engagement with men and boys, gender equality education starting in early childhood, and increased support to grassroots civil society and private sector actors to localize global frameworks like the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) and BPfA. She advocates for revitalizing national monitoring mechanisms that ensure Rwanda’s reporting and implementation are inclusive, evidence-based, and community-informed.
A Beacon of Hope at CSW69 and Beyond
At the CSW69 National Reflection Event, hosted by MIGEPROF in partnership with UN Women Rwanda, Marie shared her story alongside fellow Beijing alumni. The event served as a space to connect global outcomes, like the CSW69 Political Declaration, with national development strategies.
Hon. Consolee Uwimana, Minister of Gender and Family Promotion, acknowledged the pivotal contributions of women like Marie and reminded stakeholders that the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action remains one of the most ambitious global frameworks for women’s rights. She issued a compelling call to action: to align CSW69 outcomes with national strategies through accelerated action, meaningful inclusion, and responsive solutions to emerging challenges such as digital transformation, climate change, and humanitarian crises. She honoured the contributions of Beijing alumni like Marie and Crescence Mukantabana, and recognized Rwanda’s youth as key drivers of continued progress.
Closing the event, Ms. Jennet Kem, UN Women Rwanda Country Representative, reminded the audience that global frameworks must be localized to truly impact the lives of women and girls. She commended Rwanda’s leadership and its new role as Co-Chair of CSW70, a role that reflects the country’s leadership and responsibility to inspire others in a time of global uncertainty.
“The Journey Is Still Long, But We Continue.”
Marie Mediatrice Izabiliza’s life is a testament to what happens when hope meets purpose. Sparked by the global solidarity of 1995, she has spent the past 30 years ensuring Rwanda doesn’t just rebuild but rises with women at the centre. As the world marks 30 years since Beijing, Marie’s story reminds us that transformation is not an event, it is a commitment.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of UN Women – Africa.
